The onion needs a hamburger and tomato to work. If you are a vegatarian please use a slice of pizza.

i read that but i couldn't bring myself to try it.

it now feels like a very specifically located very bad sunburn.

(Ahem - I ain't dead, yet! I miss my old bread. :( )

hurry, quick, drink some rum!
then a little more, and a little more after that.

papaya extract?

pineapples are also nice and tenderizing. they digest the inside of my mouth when I eat them.

jack, you need a bread, definitely.

'scuse the lame title, but I went and made you one.

:)

I'm thinking about getting a little tattoo of a rhino. Seriously. Any advice? I'm open to anything from
don't do it -- I have a friend who's spinal cord got infected and now the government pays a nurse to feed her mashed bananas

to

keep the lines simple/complicated/realistic/black/color....

Where? Is the small of the back cliche these days? It would be easy to hide there...

How much to pay?

Will I regret it, no matter how much I think I won't?

think about it for six months.

if you still want it in six months, do it.

in the meantime, research your rhinos. and research your inks, and the places in town that do tattoos. there's new ink coming on the market that is easily erasable via a single laser treatment. I have two friends who were allergic to the black ink used in their tats - if you're concerned, have a test shot of the ink a week before.

small of the back? it's a pity it's a cliche because it's a decent place for a tat. not a lot of fat there, and the skin doesn't sag much as you get older. avoid areas that are affected a lot by gravity.

I got a tattoo on my shoulderblade 4 years ago - guess it's more of a statement because I can't hide it if I wear something sleeveless - but I thought about it for a decade, and decided that was where it had to go :)

I got it in brown ink - that seems to fade to a kind of reddish-purple. I didn't want black, because black fades to blue. I can't imagine ever wanting this tattoo removed, but if I did, I suspect brown ink may be easier to get rid of than black.

what you pay depends what city you're in and how large a tattoo - ask around for some local knowledge.

regrets: probably, yeah, you'll have a couple of "OMG what did I do?!" moments - but if you got the right tattoo, it'll just be your internalized mother scolding you and not a real bad "OH SHIT I just ruined my life".

tip: if you get your tattoo on your back somewhere where you can't see it all the time, you'll forget you have it after a while. It becomes much less of a big deal if it's not, say, on your forearm or ankle or neck or something.

make sure they don't use car paint. If you believe in the laws of the torah or OT I wouldn't do it then either .

I've been thinking about it for a couple of years....

Removable ink sounds good, but it might be anti- what I'm going for. I'm thinking of doing it in concert with a sort of vow thing I'll be doing soon...

Hrm. Is small of the back really cliche? It's kind of a personal thing that I don't want to explain every time I wear a tank top to the grocery store...

how about putting on a tank top, then looking at the skin that's covered by it - have someone take a pic of your back - and play around with the placement.

if it needs to go in the small of your back, it needs to go there and fvck anyone who thinks different :)

mine had to be on my shoulder - it was also part of a personal vow - and that was where it had to be once I'd thought about it. you'll be surprised how many people don't ask you about your tattoo even if it's visible!

still, when people see it they'll put you in the "tattooed person" pigeonhole, and kick you out of the "untattooed person" pigeonhole. but that's OK ;)

I understand the nonremovable ink thing. still, I'd recommend getting a test spot done first - allergic reactions really suck, and it ruins the artwork.

Never get a tattoo the judge or jury can see if you're wearing an orange jumpsuit.

is it time for a spin off?

Well, in lieu of shaving my head....yeah, it might be. :)

remember that all tattoos spread over time. so even the cleanest crispest art will get soft around the edges after, say, 10 years or so. because of that make sure you don't get your heart set on something ridiculously intricate with tiny detail.

also remember that there's very little regulation over the ingredients in tattoo ink. rather, all tattoo ink is subject to regulation by the FDA, but by and large there's really not much oversight happening in the industry. for that reason make sure you go to a reputable shop. this isn't time to bargain hunt and trade quality or safety for a small discount.

visit a few shops, it's all fine and good to look at the stock art on the wall (most places hang stock art) but what you really want to see is their work binder with photos of actual work done. take your time. sit back and flip through their photos and see if you see a good consistent style. talk to the artist about what you'd like and see how engaged they are in the discussion. definitely leave after that first visit and think it over. if you feel good about what you saw at one of the shops, go back and have the work done. don't feel like you have to get it done the very first day you walk in to talk to them.

lastly, they're artists. if you pick an artist whose work you admire and he/she makes recommendations, listen to their advice. if they say it's too small, it's probably too small. if they suggest changing the angle of the design, consider their suggestion.

^Thanks auntie. That was very helpful.